Growing old
by DesiCat
Summary: Kagome almost has her high school diploma and is ready to go to college. An old man reminds her she can go home.


Kagome finished high school, in a week she'd get her diploma . Her next adventure would begin, onto university in Germany to become a botanist. Kaide would be proud, probably everyone would be.

She dug her finger nails into the well. She now could sense Miroku's spiritual energy in the wood. He probably did something to protect it. She saw Shippo's little claw marks inside the well, he probably missed her and jumped in and climbed out. A year ago she saw one of Sango's clams slightly buried in the well. Her friends thought of her and tried their best to let her know. She took the well for granted until she couldn't go back. Inuyasha didn't leave anything or it didn't stand to the test of time.

"Keh, still anything could sneak up on you."

Her I eyes flew open, an old man in a red blazer and a black hat leaned against the well house door.

Inuyasha?

He grinned that dumb smirk that showed off one of his fangs. Fangs. Next thing she knew she was in his arms. Who moved? Who cares he was kissing her, she didn't even understand how a kiss could be this good, his thin lips seemed to know just what to do. Wait thin lips? She pulled away.

He laughed "we should stop, you're 17 right? I'm 700ish this is illegal"

Blinking rapidly,"18"

Rolling his eyes "not any better"

She looked at him, the hat probably covered his ears, his white hair cut short and finally looked right on him. His skin was thin, and wriiiinkled. She wanted him, and if this was the only way, she was grateful.

"Why did you wait?"

"Because you said so" he noticed her confusion "let's sit outside" the moves to sit by the Goshinboku. "This is weird I forgot you're so young"

"You're old!" She stuck her tongue out.

He laughed "you never saw me old, like I saw you. I thought this is the only way"

"You mean I go back?" He nodded "then why'd you kiss me?" She wrinkled her nose at him.

He kissed her nose, "in week I won't see you again, just like you won't see your family again"

Kagome was silent leaning her head against his shoulder. "What can you tell me?"

"Pretty much anything after you died"

"Still blunt I see!"

"I usually blame it on being a veteran."

"Which war?"

"All of them, I worked for Sessormaru for a few centuries"

"Whaaat?"

"You weren't alive for that, we reconciled to an extent. I helped him out with British colonialism. It was his most successful attempt at conquering the world"

"Is he still trying?"

"What do you think the European Union is? I keep telling him the world is too big. But he is the reason why Shippo and I always have valid identification"

"Shippo's alive?"

"He'll be by tomorrow, he kept trying to convince me that you should meet him somewhere. The idiot not considering that this is the last your family will see you too."

"Koga?"

Inuyasha paused, "I've not seen him in two centuries. I don't know. He was living near Nagasaki, so I'm afraid..."

"We don't need to talk about it." Squeezing his hand. "I'm hungry, why don't we eat?"

Going inside, Souta stared at them. "Hi kagome? Did mom know you were bringing home one of your teachers for lunch?" He saw Inuyasha take off his hat wiggling his ears. "You're so old!"

Barking a laugh, "I took the long way round"

Souta frowned "my sister deserves better than this"

Kagome, "It's not what you think, I'll explain with us all in a room"

Gramps came out of the kitchen, furrowing his eye brows at the other old man and then noting the ears he sighed.

"I'll get an extra plate"

"Inuyasha!" Mrs. Higurashi embraced the man. "Do you still have the same appetite?"

"I'm not constantly protecting you're daughter so no!"

Kagome flushed, "I'm not that defenseless"

"Keh, without me you would have died within minutes in the warring states era."

Mrs. Higurashi, "oh why don't you all eat?"

It was awkwardly silent while eating. Gramps said slowly "are you going to Germany with Kagome?"

Inuyasha seemed shock, "Germany?"

Kagome sigh, "I was accepted into school there, but the well is opening soon. So that isn't happening."

Inuyasha looked at her, "you never said what you were giving up"

Gramps slammed his palm "you worked hard for this! You're not going to throw it away!"

Kagome flushed, but before she could retort her mother cut in. "We will miss Kagome greatly, we will make the most of the time we have left with her."

Souta pushing food around his plate, "you're never coming back?"

Kagome sighed, "no I'm not. And I'm not throwing anything away, my home has been inuyasha since the first new moon that I knew him." Kagome threw her arm around her mother sobbing. "I'm going to miss you all too!"

Inuyasha watched as Gramps and Souta cried too. He could not believe how selfish he was. When she came back to him, he didn't give much thought to what she gave up. Kagome rarely mentioned, she was so focused on the present.

Mrs. Higurashi cleared her throat, "will you be staying?"

"If that's alright"

•••

In the morning Kagome was excited to see Shippo. She wondered what her kit looked like, if he had a mate. Inuyasha ignored her questions.

"Fine! Will you at least me if any of our kids will visit!"

Inuyasha stared she knew he was trying to figure out what to say. "We didn't. We chose to protect others."

"Chose? But birth control-"

"Kagome, I don't want to ruin your future by knowing too much. I also didn't want you to expect someone who didn't exist"

"Can you explain more why you came?"

"Well I missed you. And I saw you grow old, don't worry you were always beautiful. At one point I was upset that you wouldn't see me get old."

"I'm guessing I told you that you come by on my last day of high school and I see you as an old man?"

"You never mentioned it before I brought it up, just like you never talked about Germany"

"It doesn't matter, I was just making the most of a life without you."

"I'm home, huh? I forgot what it was like to be loved by you. It'll make the remaining centuries harder."

"there had to be other women"

"Keh, I had a life with the woman I was made for. I don't bother with something that's second rate."

Kagome smiled sadly, he'd seen that smile when she got old. She jumped and ran to the door when it knocked.

"Shippo!" She threw her arms around a strapping red head.

"Ma!"

They heard glass break. Mrs Higurashi, "Chip? No you must be his son or something"

Shippo removing himself from the woman who raised him. Helped pick up the broken glass. "No I am Chip. I'm also the child demon you daughter ran around with in the feudal era."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "Keh, I cannot believe it"

Kagome confused, "what?"

Mrs Higurashi started laughing, tears running down her face "oh I dated a demon!"

Shippo flinched, "you mean I dated my adopted grandmother"

Kagome started cracking up. "Shippo you could've been my dad!"

"Hey once I found out she was visiting the shrine, I dumped her!"

"I was so angry, it happened out of the blue. I asked the next man out I could, luckily that was kagome's father."

After the glass was cleaned up kagome and her mom went to make more tea. Shippo had dropped his illusion revealing his nine tails and sharp ears. Mrs Higurashi flushed, Shippo flashed her a fanged grin.

Inuyasha slapped him upside his head, "stop flirting with your grandmother!"

"Inuyasha! Sit!" Surprisingly he slammed into the floor "I'm sorry I didn't think you had those still"

Shippo "you kept them, Incase inuyasha went full demon"

Kagome looked at Inuyasha as he scowled at her, "where is Tessaiga?"

"In my eye, with out you it became to risky to accidentally lose it. So myoga helped me put it back"

Kagome nodded turning back to Shippo, "what have you been doing"

Shippo explained that he was a magician. He flashed into his magician persona, who looked vastly different. Kagome knew she saw him on tv a couple times but never paid attention. Souta demanded an autograph. Switching back into shippo, he explain that he earned all nine tails, never quite settled down. He threw a wink to kagome's mother who blushed and giggled. Inuyasha thumped a fist on Shippo's head. Souta and Gramps enjoyed the illusions Shippo showed them. Inuyasha gently pulled her into the other room.

"Kagome, you don't have to go down the well. You have so much going on here"

She smirked, "I don't think I want to see my mom and shippo fall in love." See the man's serious expression "I won't pass up spending my life with you. Taking care of Shippo when he is young. Or seeing Miroku and Sango. We fought together and I need all of you."

"Kagome, it's safer here. And I earn I nice income, I can take care of you."

"First I would be able take care of myself. Second my life being at risk isn't a deterrent. Third you have a job?"

Inuyasha chuckled, "I choreograph fight scenes for movies and plays"

"You certainly experienced a lot"

"So you're going through the well"

"I'm going through the well"

The next couple of days she spent with Inuyasha and Shippo. She did take an afternoon with her girlfriends, they saw Shippo, they thought he was the new boyfriend, he was apparently cuter than the "delinquent". Kagome laughed them off saying he was into older women.

Climbing up the steps kagome saw a tall man in a grey suit with a thick briefcase, his hair white and long.

"Sesshomaru? I didn't think you'd visit"

"Hnn"

They climbed rest of the steps, she offered tea, he raised his chin silently.

Inside she introduced him to her family and began to make tea. Souta informed them that Inuyasha and Shippo went for a walk.

"This one had asked them too" Sesshomaru took a sip "you were not always good at making tea"

Kagome flushed "are you going to insult me or tell me why you wanted to see me without the other demons"

He tilted his head, "insult? It was a remark on your improvement. This one is here because a debt is owed to you. Your incessant chatter, led to great investments. This case is filled with gold coins, you came with a small bag. The rest is for your family" he handed her a small leather pouch with a dog embossed on it.

"This bag?"

"my father's purse."

"It's how you knew you did this"

"I didn't know why until centuries after you died"

"What did I tell you?"

"Plenty"

"Can you tell me about Rin?"

"She is your ancestor, and lived a happy life"

"What?"

"This one doesn't repeat himself"

"Do you always talk about yourself in third person."

"Hnn only around the little sister" she swore he smiled, it was too quick to be sure.

Gramps had him move the briefcase into a safer location. He called it Inuyasha's dowery.

"Kagome, This one needs to apologize"

"For what? Making my family obscenely rich?"

"For trying to kill you, before Naraku's death."

"I forgave you a long time ago"

"This one knows"

"Can you tell me how you and Inuyasha made up?"

There was a long pause, "after you died, Inuyasha was depressed. Out of respect for you, this one offered a goal to Inuyasha."

"What was he doing?"

"He established trade between England and Russia. Inuyasha or 'Richard' is an exceptional maritime navigator"

"You mean sailor?"

"No. He is terrible at sailing, navigation on water before longitude measurements were standardized is his strong suit."

"Next thing you'll say I'm a terrible fighter"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow "I agree. you are good at directing others how to fight because you've witnessed this one "

Kagome, "I didn't notice you come in!"

Shippo grin, "well cause anyone can sneak up on you"

Sesshōmaru stood "this one will leave."

Kagome grasp his hand, "stay, you won't see me again"

Inuyasha grabbed her arm, "You were free of all familiar scents before crossing over."

She puffed out her cheeks, trying to hold back tears, "are you all leaving?"

They would see her get her diploma, but wouldn't touch her. She would need to shower, wear fresh clothes to prevent the questions of why the younger version of themselves could smell themselves on her.

The day she got her diploma she could feel the well waking up. Gramps tried to convince her to stay, Souta was trying not to cry, her mom simply smiled and understood. Hugging her family one last time she jumped over the lip of the well to face tomorrow.


End file.
